Jigoku

Kanji: 地獄
Kana: じごく
Pronunciation: Jigoku (Jee-goh-koo)

TRANSLATION: Earth Prison / Hell
ALTERNATE NAMES: The Underworld
ORIGIN: Buddhism

HABITAT: Afterlife (Below the Earth)
DIET: None

ABILITIES:

• Punishment of sins
• Infinite torture
• Reincarnation cycle

WEAKNESSES:

• Prayers of the living
• Bodhisattvas (like Jizo)

OVERVIEW: Jigoku is the Buddhist realm of Hell, a frightening place of punishment where sinners are sent after death. It is ruled by the Ten Kings, most famously Enma Daiou, who judge the souls of the dead.

APPEARANCE: It is depicted as a fiery, chaotic landscape filled with torture devices, demons (Oni), and suffering souls. It is divided into Eight Great Hells and Eight Cold Hells, each tailored to specific sins.

BEHAVIOR: Jigoku is not a creature but a system of cosmic justice. It exists to purify souls through suffering so they can eventually be reborn. The oni who work there are merely bureaucrats and jailers.

INTERACTIONS: Humans enter Jigoku only after death, based on their karma. Stories exist of people visiting prematurely and returning to tell of its horrors.

OTHER FORMS: None.